Porsche Uses Natural Fiber in 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport

Porsche Uses Natural Fiber in 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport

The recently launched 718 Cayman
GT4 Clubsport made noise in the automotive world with the new material used for
its doors and wing. It may look like carbon fiber at first, but Porsche refers
to it as “natural fiber”.

This
material is made from flax, a plant that produces seeds and whose fibers are used
in the production of linen. Thanks to technology, it has now found its way to
race car parts.

Speaking at the launch of the
GT4, Eduard Ene, Porsche Motorsport’s composites expert, said that production
of raw materials to make natural fiber takes 75 percent less energy than carbon
fiber. He also stressed that natural fiber can be ground down to be used again
for various purposes, whereas carbon fiber must be burned at an extremely high
temperature to be disposed of.

Compared to carbon fiber, which
is an extremely strong material that dramatically cracks when it breaks, this
material has five times better vibration dampening properties, so it doesn’t
shatter when hit hard. It is also
considered great on the race track as there would be less cleanup in the event
of an accident.

Porsche unveiled a few various
ways to produce the material including a natural fiber sandwich, which utilizes
a balsawood core and natural fiber reinforced plastic, which is extremely
similar to carbon reinforced plastic. These woven materials are pressed into
shape utilizing the same methods used in the production of carbon fiber parts.
The new GT4’s doors are created utilizing a resin transfer molding process
while the wing is made with a pre-impregnated process.

While natural fiber comes with
excellent vibration dampening properties, it’s not as robust as carbon fiber.
This is why it can only be used for the doors in the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
given that there’s a roll cage in place for driver safety.

Ene further explained that
natural fibers could be utilized in the development of non-structural
components in a production road car such as wings, hoods, or fenders. However,
though this material requires less energy to produce, it is still costlier than
carbon fiber.

This year, the new GT4s are
slated to race all over the world to put this new material to the test.

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